One Week To Trust
by Kingdom of Awkward
Summary: Halt left Will in the ward four years ago, but when he checks on him, he finds out a horrifying truth. Now with one week to see if Halt can adopt Will, can Will learn to trust Halt before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: This contains neglect and some abuse so if you would rather not read that/relive that sort of thing, I completely understand! Please stay safe mentally, physically, and emotionally everyone!**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own the Ranger's Apprentice, nor will I ever.**

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Chapter 1-

Halt still wasn't sure how it had happened. What it was supposed to be was a check up on Will, to make sure he was thriving properly at the ward. He was going to observe for a while, then slip away unnoticed and check up again in a year or so. It would've been unusual and alarming for anyone if someone had spotted him watching the children, but he was a ranger, and no one did. Besides, he had a right to make sure the child he'd put in the ward was alright, did he not? Halt was confident that Baron Arald wouldn't mind him checking up on the children at any rate.

Halt had slipped in early that morning, just in time to watch the children eat breakfast. He had easily identified Will as the curious, talkative little brown haired boy with bright eyes. He was animatedly chattering to a small, serene, blonde haired girl who was sitting next to him. She seemed interested enough in what he was saying, while the other children were focused on their food more than his conversation. Halt noticed that Will seemed to have already finished eating, and he supposed that explained why he was talking instead.

There were three servants in the ward with the children, two maids and the matron of the ward. None of them noticed Halt, however, so he didn't spare them much thought, and continued to watch the children play after breakfast.

During lunch, Halt had noticed that Will was fed quite a bit less than the other children. He tried to find a reasonable explanation for it, but seeing as Will wasn't the last served, he couldn't. While the servants talked amiably to the children about the affairs of the castle, when Will tried to add something in, he was shushed or ignored.

After lunch, the other children were allowed to go back out to play. However, the servants made Will stay behind to help them. Halt hadn't been sure at first if this was a regular occurrence, or a day to day changing thing to teach the children responsibility. He had prayed it was the second option, but with a look at the sad, resigned look on Will's face, Halt had known it was the first.

Around evening, the servants had called the children in for supper. Halt saw that Will was served last, and not as much, even less than at lunch! With growing anger, he had also seen that while Will struggled through washing up for bed by himself and lifting the water jug; the other children were helped. Halt had almost revealed himself when Will climbed up a shelf to fetch a towel and the shelf had started wobbling. He was four! The servants should be getting things for him that he couldn't reach! Why wasn't Will being treated fairly? Why was he being neglected like this?

Halt felt his heart twist in his chest when the other children were tucked in and Will put his own self to bed. The only goodnight said was his own to the servants as they left, who had no word in response.

When the final candle had been blown out and the servants long gone, Halt had slipped out. He and Abelard had headed home, thoughts falling through Halt's head. He finally came to a conclusion as to why Will was not being treated the same- the servants didn't know who his parents had been. Despite Will also not knowing them, having no control over being left, being the same as the other ward children, the servants didn't see him the same. They probably thought his mother had been pregnant outside marriage and hadn't known what to do, or that his parents had simply decided they hadn't wanted a child. The servants probably thought the note was false. Who knew if these things had been voiced or implied to Will either. Will didn't deserve this.

Halt sighed and stared up at the moon, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Daniel. I'll fix this, I promise."

 **Yes, I'm jumping on the Halt and Will adoption train too. It's just so cute, I can't help it! But as always, I accidentally made it angst-filled, and I think it's a bit of a twist than usual to have Will be four, rather than a little baby. This is my first multi-chapter fanfic, so leave a review if you think I should do more! Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter number two! I hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 2-

So, that was how Halt had ended up back in the castle the next morning, standing outside the door to the ward. Everything inside of him wanted to slip in, grab Will, and run, but he knew that wasn't the proper way to deal with this situation. With a sigh, he knocked on the door and waited. The ward matron was the one who opened the door to him. "Yes? Oh! Um, Ranger Halt! I-I, well, this is unexpected!" she babbled, clearly scared that she was face to face with the grim-faced ranger. Halt stayed silent, feeling nothing but seething anger for her, and the woman quickly realized she was making a fool of herself. "W-would you like to come in?" she asked nervously, stepping aside. Halt gave her no answer and simply stepped into the ward. He was immediately met by far too many curious gazes, from servants and children alike. His gaze found Will at the table quickly and he made his way over. "Will, the baron wishes to speak to you," Halt said, knowing it wasn't technically true but that the baron would see Halt if Halt requested to see him. Will blinked in surprise, "Me?" "Is there another Will in the room?" Halt asked with a raised eyebrow. Will shook his head, "No sir." Will shot a worried glance at the blonde girl, clearly scared about seeing the baron. She gave him a sympathetic look as she took another bite.

With a flash of anger, Halt noticed that once again, that Will was not eating. Was he not allowed breakfast? What was wrong with these people? Halt, unable to stop himself, turned to the woman, demanding, "Why is this child not eating?" A bit of fear crossed the woman's face as she blundered, "He's being punished for back-talking this morning, sir." Halt bit back retorting that he knew that wasn't true and simply turned to Will.

"Ready to go?" he asked, eager to get out from under the stares of the servants and children. Will nodded mutely. "Then we should get moving," Halt said, hiding his relief as he turned and headed to the door, hearing Will scramble after him.

The servant, clearly scared and curious that the baron was involved in whatever was going on, followed them into the hall. "All due respect, sir, but what on earth is going on?" she asked, several octaves higher than usual in fear, grabbing Will's wrist tightly, as if keeping Will from leaving would somehow make Halt tell her. Halt turned and gave her a steely glare for an answer, and she hastily released Will's wrist, which he rubbed with a slight wince. "What's happening is absolutely none of your concern," Halt forced out, "and I'd thank you kindly not to make it your business." The woman took another step back, shaking her head quickly. "Of course, of course, I'm sorry, I'll let you be on your way," she squeaked, before hurrying back inside.

Halt softened his gaze as he looked back at the scared looking Will. "Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling and taking Will's wrist to examine it. "What? Oh, yes I'm fine!" Will replied, seeming surprised, before hastily adding, "Thank you." Halt held in a sigh, knowing that the boy's wrist would probably bruise and then stood and continued down the hall, Will hurrying after him.

As they put distance between them and the ward, Halt slowed slightly, allowing Will to walk next to Halt. "So, Will, is it?" Halt said, despite his certainty it was. Will nodded. "Yes sir," he answered. Halt sighed a little at the formality. If Will didn't even know or use his name he couldn't expect anything to come from interacting with the child. "You can call me Halt," Halt told Will, praying he sounded friendly. Will looked surprised for a moment. "But that seems rude, sir- I mean, Halt," he voiced, a little nervous. Halt shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Well, in this situation, I'd say it's not. Is that alright?" He asked, and Will nodded, smiling a little. "I've just never called an adult by just their name before, is all," Will admitted, still seeming nervous. "Well, you'd best get used to that," Halt muttered, and then fell silent as they continued their journey to the baron's office.

As they climbed the stairs to the baron's office, Halt felt a slight tug on his cloak. "Um, Halt?" Will asked nervously, and Halt looked down in surprise. "Yes?" "Am I in trouble?" Will asked quietly, face pale in fear. "Why would you be in trouble?" Halt asked in confusion. "Well, you're taking me to see the baron and you're a ranger, so I must have done something wrong," Will explained, clearly seeing no other explanation for what was happening. Halt shook his head in exasperation at the reasoning and answered, "No, you've done nothing wrong, alright?" Despite this, as they approached the baron's door, Will still looked worried. When they were almost to the door and guards, Halt motioned for Will to stop and knelt down again in front of him. Halt placed both hands on Will's shoulders, making Will look him in the eyes. "Trust me, it's other people who have done wrong, all right? We just might need to ask you some questions," Halt clarified, hoping to stop Will from worrying, and to his relief, Will nodded. "Okay. I'll do my best!" Will told Halt, a smile breaking out on his face now that he was sure he wasn't going to be thrown in the dungeons. Halt felt the corner of his mouth twitch at the smile on Will's face and stood, continuing towards the door to the baron's office. "Ready?" he asked Will, who nodded. Halt rapped on the door sharply thrice and awaited the baron's consent to come in.

 **Thank you so much to anyone who reviewed! You're all so nice :)**

 **Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter, sorry about it being sort of short!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three! Hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter Three-

Baron Arald looked up as he heard the knock that was uniquely Halt's on the door, and called, "Come in!" He knew he hadn't scheduled a meeting with Halt this morning, and that they weren't set to meet for at least another week. Also, seeing as the ranger rarely came to report to him even if it was an emergency, the baron knew that it had to be important if Halt was coming to him willingly.

Therefore, it came as a shock when he saw the tiny, brown-haired child trailing a little behind Halt as he entered, glancing around curiously. Baron Arald recognized him as Will from the ward that he had set up after the war with Morgarath. The child had been left on the ward's doorstep one night when he was only a baby; but either way, he was parentless, and the baron had seen no difference. There was plenty to go around in Redmont, they could take care of another unfortunate baby. The baron felt a slight cold feeling in his heart as he realized that whatever Halt had come for, it had something to do with Will.

Halt settled himself in a chair in front of the baron's desk, motioning for Will to come and do the same in the chair next to him. The child struggled with getting into the large chair for a moment, but then managed to pull himself onto it. Baron Arald felt a small smile twitch at his lips at Will's look of accomplishment. But, he pushed it aside after a moment. There was clearly business to attend to.

"So, Halt! This is a surprise! What offense has this little one done?" Baron Arald joked, trying to put Will at ease- not noticing Will's fearful glance at Halt.

Halt shook his head at Will for a moment, then turned to the baron. "It's not what he's done, rather, what's happened to him," Halt sighed for a moment, then jumped straight to the issue at hand, "Are you aware that the servants you put in charge of the ward are neglecting Will?"

The baron knew that Halt knew full well that Baron Arald didn't know, and that he would never stand for such a thing. However, the baron realized that Halt also knew this slight accusation would raise the baron's caution in the future. Sure enough, with a glance at Will, the baron said gravely, "Explain."

Halt nodded at the baron and started, "I arrived yesterday at the ward early in the morning, with the intention of checking on the children and leaving. However, I noticed that Will wasn't eating breakfast, while the other children were. This continued through the day with Will not getting as much lunch, and having to help the servants clean- being given the tasks a four-year-old certainly should not be doing! May I mention, it was only Will had to help." Baron Arald held up a hand and turned to Will, who looked confused as to why Halt was telling the baron all this. "Do you get to eat breakfast, Will?" Will nodded hesitantly, saying, "If I don't backtalk the day before and do all my chores right I do." The baron nodded tightly, then asked, "Your chores are helping after lunch?" Will nodded, then added, "After breakfast and dinner too, but it just depends on how the servants are feeling, I think. Sometimes I have to help after all three." Baron Arald nodded again. "Thank you, Will," he said and motioned for Halt to continue.

"Once dinner came, Will was served half as much as he had been even during lunch. Oh, and during both lunch and dinner, he was ignored while he was talking, sometimes even shushed. He wasn't yelling or talking pointlessly, simply adding to the conversation," Halt said, face darkening in remembrance. "Then," he continued, "after dinner, instead of the servants helping him pour water and wash up, they left him to do it on his own. He climbed up several unsteady shelves to fetch a towel, and the servants _watched_ him!" The baron couldn't help but be surprised by the amount of emotion Halt was clearly feeling on behalf of the small child beside him. The baron was boiling with barely restrained anger himself, however, so he could fully understand it.

"Finally, he was left to struggle with the covers himself, and the servants simply ignored his goodnight! They just pretended like Will wasn't there at all! So I went and got him myself this morning to bring this matter to your attention." Halt finished, anger written on his face.

There was a moment of silence while Baron Arald struggled with calming himself so he wouldn't scare Will. If he had his way, he would've had them brutally punished for acting that way to a child. Who knew what else they had done to him! Unfortunately, it was not within in his power to do much more than banish them at the most. "I'll banish them from the fief- if I can, I'll imprison them and have the king banish them from Araluen," he told Halt, knowing, however, it would most likely be a losing battle. "If anything else turns up, let me know immediately," he hinted, knowing that Halt would be questioning Will and that he would understand what the baron meant. Halt nodded, and the baron glanced over at Will for a moment, who seemed worried and confused.

"I'm sorry," Will piped up, glancing between the two men anxiously. Baron Arald blinked in surprise. "Why, whatever for?" he exclaimed, looking at Halt, who seemed just as at a loss as he was. "Well, I've caused a problem for the women at the ward, haven't I? I always cause trouble," Will said a little sadly, but with a conviction that said he believed it was true. To the baron's surprise, Halt beat him to assuring the child, "Don't be silly, Will. This is absolutely not your fault at all! How could it be?" Halt gave the little boy a severe look, and Will nodded quickly. Baron Arald realized that the child already seemed to believe Halt, although they'd just met.

Baron Arald hid a grin and turned to Halt, saying, "After I throw those," he paused with a glance at Will, "erm, servants in prison, I'll appoint new servants to look after the children. I'll look into them extra carefully and make sure this will not be happening again. The children might take some time adjusting to the servants, however." Halt nodded, then said, "I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable with Will returning to the ward." Baron Arald gave him a curious and surprised look. "Halt, I understand why, but, there's not another option here," the baron said, hoping Halt wasn't going to be difficult. Halt shook his head, "Let me make myself clear," Halt paused and sighed, then stated firmly,

"I would like to adopt Will."

 **Ending on another cliffhanger! I'm going out of town tomorrow until Sunday and I might try to upload chapters while I'm gone, but I won't have my computer so I most likely won't be able to.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to review and tell me what you thought!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter four! There's a bit of point of view changing in this, but I've marked it each time with a well-placed ~ o ~ marking that fits in with the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Four-

Will looked up in surprise at the ranger's statement. Halt wanted to adopt him? Why? They had just met! Besides, if Halt wanted to adopt a child, there were plenty of- Will hated to admit it- _better_ children at the ward the man could choose. Why not Horace, who would make a fine warrior one day? Perhaps Alyss, who was smart and quick? There was George, who could recite paragraphs off the top of his head already? Or Jenny, who was sweet and helpful? What did Will have? He didn't have anything the other children had! Why did Halt choose Will then? Had he mistaken him for another child?

Will heard the Baron Arald asking, "Are you sure, Halt? Raising a child is a big responsibility, one you might not be able to take on with your duties." Will looked over at Halt, and he felt a twist in his heart. Half of him was scared to go with the ranger, after all, no one knew very much about him- or rangers. But the other part of him _wanted_ Halt to say yes, to take Will with him. To give him a home like the other town children had. Will thought he would like that, but a part of him was scared to want it.

"You already have a lot on your hands at the moment, Halt," the baron added again as if trying to remind Halt of something. Will almost expected Halt to shake his head and say, "No, I was mistaken, keep him." but instead, the ranger nodded firmly, saying, "Yes, I'm certain. I want to adopt Will. Trust me," Halt added, "I've given this a lot of thought."

The Baron sighed and nodded, looking between the two of them, before a slight smile crossed his face. "Of course you have," Baron Arald said, "Although, I think, just to be safe, we should give you and Will a week to try living together and getting along, all right?" The baron finished, turning to Will with a smile. Halt nodded, and Baron Arald asked, "Will, how would you like to try living with Halt for a week?" Will looked between them, thinking. So far, Halt had been very kind to Will, but they had only just met. Will could live in a proper house with a family, and if Halt was disappointed he wouldn't be stuck with Will forever. "Okay," Will agreed, smiling at the two of them, trying to ignore his nervousness. The baron smiled at him and turned to Halt. "Good luck," he said, reaching out to shake Halt's hand. Will couldn't push down the smile still on his face. He was going to live with another person!

~ o ~

Halt glanced down at the little boy by his side, who looked more and more nervous as they approached the ward door. Halt wasn't exactly sure what was bothering Will, although he could only hope it was just being nervous about announcing his new freedom, and not nervousness about living with Halt. Halt knew he would eventually know, however, and decided not to dwell on it. Right now he just wanted to get Will's things and get home.

Halt didn't bother knocking on the ward door; instead, opening it and sliding silently in, Will following him and shutting the door. The servants glanced up and looked surprised to see them back so soon. The children seemed happy to see Will again too, almost as if they had expected to never see Will again. Halt supposed they probably thought Will was going to be thrown in the dungeons or killed. That was what commonly happened with people were taken to see the baron, and particularly when rangers did the taking.

Will glanced over at them, then hesitantly back at Halt. "Go on," Halt said, hoping he sounded encouraging. He supposed he did because Will turned and went to his friends happily, who quickly accepted him into their little circle to ask what had happened.

The servants watched Halt as if they expected him to leave now that he'd delivered the child back to the ward safely. Finally, the ward matron approached him nervously. "C-can we help you, Ranger Halt?" Halt internally sighed at the fearful tone, but simply replied, "No." He had no time for a woman who couldn't be bothered to look after a child because she didn't know his parents. "Will you be eating with us?" she tried again, seeming worried. Halt gave her a slight glare, and stated, "No."

She watched him for a few moments more before backing away and leaving Halt be in his corner. With a sigh of relief, Halt watched Will go into the room where he slept with the other boys and listened idly to the servants whispering about the fact that Halt was still there.

Soon enough, Will emerged from the bedroom with simply a nightshirt. Halt frowned a little at that. "That's all you have to your name?" Will nodded, looking confused. "Should I have anything more?" Halt simply shook his head with a sigh, a bitterness welling up within him that Will didn't even have an extra change of clothes or any toys to call his own. Halt turned as the woman approached him, squeaking, "Will, what on earth are you doing with that out! Go put it away right this instant!" She dropped her voice and leaned in a little, gripping Will's wrist tightly again, "You're going straight to bed without dinner tonight, young man. I've had it with you being rude and disrespectful."

The ward matron turned and faced Halt, not letting go of Will's small wrist, which he tried to tug out of her painful hold in vain. "I'm so sorry Ranger Halt, I've done my best to teach them manners but-"

"Let him go, can't you see you're hurting him?" Halt snapped, and the woman hastily released Will's arm. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't- he was being rude!" She stuttered as Halt glared at her. "No, he's not, I asked him to fetch his things. Regardless, why wouldn't you feed him dinner? You denied him breakfast already!" Halt asked, his loathing for the woman seeping through his tone. The ward matron stared at him in fear a moment, then fired back, "Well you wouldn't know anything about raising children!" "Perhaps, but you clearly know far less," Halt snapped, turning and opening the door, "Let's go, Will."

Will nodded a little fearfully, glancing at the furious face of the woman, then darted out the door. Halt followed and firmly shut the door behind them, silently praying that that would be the last time Will would ever have to be in such a place.

~ o ~

Will followed after Halt nervously. The man seemed tense, but every time he glanced at Will, his gaze would slightly soften. Will felt bad that Halt had argued with the ward matron over him, although he still wasn't sure why. "Halt?" he asked, worried looking up at Halt, who glanced down. "Yes?" "I'm sorry you argued because of me. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble," Will told Halt, who got a strange expression on his face. "You- you think that was your fault?" Halt asked and stopped walking. Will nodded hesitantly. "Yes." Halt sighed. "Will, I argued with her because I dislike her, alright? She was hurting you at any rate," Halt told Will seriously, "which is absolutely not acceptable." Will nodded after a moment, hand coming up to touch his wrist with a wince. "I suppose," Will said with another nod, deciding Halt wouldn't lie to him. He had no reason to, not when he was taking Will home with him.

Will brightened at the thought. "Halt?" he asked, causing Halt to lift an eyebrow. "Yes?" he asked, glancing down at Will again. "Where do you live?" "I live out in the forest, past the village," Halt answered, continuing walking. Will nodded, wondering what living so far away from everyone would be like. "How are we going to get there? Are we going to walk?" Will questioned, looking up at Halt curiously. Halt shook his head. "Of course not. We're going to take my horse," Halt replied. "But I've never ridden a horse! What if I fall?" Will said, a bit worried and excited at the same time. "I won't let you fall," Halt answered, without even looking down. "How? Where did you get your horse? Oh! What's its name?" Will asked, tugging on Halt's cloak a little. Halt sighed a little, but at Will's smile, he answered all the same.

"I'll hold onto you, and keep you from falling. I got Abelard- that's my horse's name- from a good friend of mine when I first became a ranger," Halt told Will, who nodded. "Abelard is a strange name. I like it, though!" Will decided with certainty, and blinked as they entered the bright sunlight near the stables.

Halt led Will through the yard to his horse, small and gray. Abelard lifted his head and gave Will a decisive sniff, and Halt leaned forwards and seemed to whisper something to Abelard. It seemed to Will that he was making sure Abelard knew something before he mounted him. Finally, Halt turned to Will. "Here, let me have your nightshirt," he said, leaning down to take it. Will handed it to him and watched as Halt put it away in one Abelard's saddlebags. Halt then tightened Abelard's saddle and checked to make sure everything was in order.

"Okay then," Halt said, turning to Will, "ready?" Will nodded, then squeaked with surprise as Halt scooped him up. Will wrapped his arms around Halt's neck, not used to being picked up and slightly scared of being dropped. "Hanging in there?" Halt asked, and Will nodded, realizing that Halt didn't seem affected by his weight in the slightest. Halt put a foot in the stirrup and a hand on Abelard before swinging up and mounting Abelard with ease. Halt shifted and turned Will around so he was facing forwards and then securely wrapped his arms around Will. "See? Not going to fall," Halt told Will, who nodded, and looking around, felt excitement override his nervousness. As Abelard started moving with seemingly no command from Halt, Will informed him, "I feel tall." Will could've sworn he heard a chuckle from the ranger, but he said nothing, so Will couldn't be sure. Either way, Will knew he could be sure of one thing; things this week were going to be very different.

 **I'm back from my trip and hopefully I'll be back to updating normally!**

 **Now onto a long author note with necessary information:**

 **I got someone mentioning that I should make Halt more in character and I would like to apologize for not clearly stating that Halt will be OOC in this fanfiction. I simply presumed that it would be obvious due to non-canon events and the fact that I can't write his character the same way John Flanagan can since I am not him (disclaimer? haha). I would like to also say now that due to the fact this is a fanfiction everyone else will most likely be slightly out of character.**

 **Again, I apologize for this, and hope this clears up any confusion!**

 **Continuing with this freakishly long author note I want to say that I do appreciate and will definitely consider any tips/suggestions plot-wise that you guys have! While I have most of the story already planned out (so don't worry about it being forever unfinished) I do need a little bit of filling in the middle so if you have something you want to see happen please don't hesitate to tell me! I love feedback from you guys, this whole fandom is pretty awesome and creative. :D**

 **At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to upload soon! :)**


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